🔍 Key Concepts

• Lateral buoyage system (IALA B in the U.S.) – how red and green buoys are marked • Difference between shapes (can, nun, gong, bell) and markings (colors, numbers, lights) • How preferred-channel buoys are identified (color pattern and numbering)

💭 Think About

• Think about which buoy types normally carry numbers to mark the sides of the channel when returning from sea. • Ask yourself: Do sound buoys like gongs or bells always need numbers to be identified, or are there exceptions? • Consider how you would report a buoy to the Coast Guard: which of these would you usually identify by a number plus color, and which might be identified another way (e.g., sound, light, shape)?

✅ Before You Answer

• Recall that in the U.S. system, red aids on one side and green aids on the other side of a channel are usually numbered in sequence. • Verify how a preferred-channel buoy is shown on a chart: look for its color pattern (red/green bands), light characteristic, and numbering. • Check which type of buoy, by its very purpose or construction (e.g., gong vs. can), might more often be identified by sound and shape rather than by a number.